


Growth

by SingManyFaces



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Clone Wars: Gambit Series - Karen Miller, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alien Biology, Fluff, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-27 12:15:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21391990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingManyFaces/pseuds/SingManyFaces
Summary: Something unexpected leaves Anakin afraid that he’s damaged his padawan, and leaves Ahsoka amused.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 8
Kudos: 331





	Growth

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Shed](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18152744) by [SingManyFaces](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingManyFaces/pseuds/SingManyFaces). 

> Though this is a sequel, it can be read on its own.

“Kriff, Snips—you look like you’ve been dragged behind a speeder!” Anakin startled to his feet, barely letting Ahsoka through the door of their shared quarters before he was looking her over. But after the initial shock at her appearance wore off—the healthy layer of dirt that clung to her, the bruises he could see forming beneath it—he realized that she didn’t _feel_ hurt, not any worse than she would after a vigorous spar, anyway. In the Force she felt playful, radiated pride. Anakin took a breath and guessed, a little sheepishly, “One of your team challenges with Master Damsin?” 

She gave an amused nod, patting his hand where it laid on her shoulder. “Mountain terrain this time.”

He let out a sigh, shaking his head at himself before asking, “Did you win?”

“It was a really close one, but,” Ahsoka beamed up at him, “we pulled it out in the end.”

The swell of pride he felt matched her own; he’d seen the skill that she was up against. “That’s my girl!” Anakin wasn’t sure exactly when they’d developed the habit of him stroking her montrals—as Obi-Wan had so often patted his back or shoulders during his own training—but he reached out then to do just that. 

But this time, when his hand closed around one bone-like protrusion, there was an audible _crack!_

Anakin released his hold immediately, breath stuttering to a halt in his chest as a shard of something stiff but brittle came away with his hand. Briefly he hoped it was just dried mud, _anything_ similar, but one look dashed the thought—the colors were more dull than usual, but what rested in his palm was unmistakably marked by the blue point of a star. _Oh Force, I broke my Padawan!_

Eyes round as saucers, he looked up to see Ahsoka’s own stunned gaze. “Oh, Snips,” he stammered, pulling his hands away from her, “Oh, I am so sor—“

“Oh, thank goodness!”

His apology sputtered to a stop. “What?”

“Well, it’s a relief!” Reaching up, she began to tentatively explore the chipped segment of her montral. “They’ve been getting more uncomfortable the last couple of weeks,” her head canted to the side as her fingertips slipped into the gap he’d inadvertently created, “And _this_ week the itching started...” Ahsoka gave a sudden yank and—with another _crack!_—another piece of her montral broke away in her hand.

Dimly, Anakin realized he must have made some sort of noise because Ahsoka’s gaze snapped to his face. “Master?” With her empty hand she touched his arm, concerned. “Skyguy, are you okay? You’re looking a little green.”

He cleared his throat, trying to process all of the new information. “So this...” his voice was a little strained, “is normal, then?”

For a moment Ahsoka looked as surprised as he felt, blinking up at him with wide eyes. In the Force she gave off a shiver of amusement, and then...a sense of warm sympathy as she remembered something; she tucked the memory away before it could share itself with him. “Since I’ve been growing lately, yes,” she grinned.

To his credit, Anakin _had_ noticed that_. _She’d gotten a few inches taller, her lekku a bit longer. He just hadn’t expected that her montrals would be growing too...which was, he was disappointed in himself to realize, an oversight on his part. While he hadn’t had much chance to interact with growing togruta before, he had been around Master Ti enough over the years, knew well the statuesque figure she cut with her own montrals.

He should have expected...well, _something_.

Ahsoka drifted over to their comfortable old couch to take up her usual corner; he followed after to join her there. “Does it hurt?”

“Not when the plates are ready to come up.” As if to prove the point, she sucked air in through her teeth, her probing fingers finally stilling as she found a patch that didn’t budge. She rubbed at the spot consolingly before turning another smile on him and bowing her head to give him a better look. “Bet you can see the new ones coming in underneath.”

“Oh,” a small, breathy laugh escaped him as he craned his neck to see, “Yeah, look at that.” Close beneath the chipped outer layers he could see the new growth, the colors of it more vivid, the shape of the markings a bit more bold. Almost to himself, “I think it’s starting to curve.”

She snorted; he could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “Probably why they’ve been so uncomfortable this time.”

Folding his hands between his knees he leaned forward, turned his head to look at her again as his brows knitted. “Will you be okay to shower like that?”

“Baths will be better until they’re finished,” she acknowledged, humming, “Less chance of water getting stuck where it shouldn’t be.” Ahsoka shook her head, then leaned it on her hand as if to steady herself, “Montral infections are the worst.”

He attempted to school his features while internally he reeled. _Montral_ _infections_. He huffed a laugh, summoning a small, lopsided smile. “They certainly don’t sound fun.”

Another emphatic shake of her head, and she seemed to regret it. “Hey, master...” she pressed her fingers briefly to her temple, “Last time I started peeling it effected my balance a bit. It,” she trailed off a moment, appearing faintly embarrassed, “It’s probably going to be worse this time.”

Anakin tilted his head inquisitively. “Is there something I can do to help?”

“Think you can assign me to some less physical training until I’m finished peeling?” she asked hopefully. “I just don’t want to find out how effected I’ll be in the middle of a spar, even if we are only using training sabers, you know?”

_Peeling!_ was what his mind stuck on; it wouldn’t have been the word he used to describe the condition. Shaking himself, Anakin nodded, “Of course, Snips—whatever you need.”

Her lips curved up in a small smile; in the Force her signature gave off a gentle glow of fondness and gratitude. “Thanks, Skyguy.” Ahsoka uncurled herself from the couch with a sigh, rolling her shoulders, “I’d better get to it, I can feel myself starting to stiffen up.”

“I’ll get us some dinner from the dining hall,” he offered, “Have everything ready by the time you get out.”

She perked up at the mention of food. “Shaak stew?”

“You got it,” he agreed, not quite able to keep himself from smiling.

“Thanks!” she chirped, making her way down the hall to the bathroom—slower than she normally would have, he noted.

_To the dining hall,_ he thought to himself, opening his hand to stare down at the shard of her that he still held_ ...but maybe a quick stop at the library first. _It had been a while since he’d gone looking for information on togrutas and, at the time, he’d thought he’d found enough. Clearly he had more reading to do. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You can find me on tumblr @singmanyfaces if you want to drop by. :D


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